Trout leading AL vote-getter; closest battle is at 2B

Jeter leads at SS in final campaign; Bautista, Ellsbury round out starting outfield

By Spencer Fordin / MLB.com

Mike Trout is burning up the basepaths and the ballot boxes.

The first ballot update for the American League's starting lineup for the All-Star Game was released on Tuesday, and Trout, with 764,007 votes, has nearly 90,000 more votes than his nearest competitor. Only two other players -- Blue Jays outfielder Jose Bautista and Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter -- have more than 600,000 votes.

Trout, a Rookie of the Year in 2012 and two-time runner-up for the AL's Most Valuable Player Award before his 23rd birthday, would be playing in his third consecutive All-Star Game. And Jeter, retiring at the close of the 2014 campaign, would be headed to the Midsummer Classic for the 14th time.

Two Tigers -- first baseman Miguel Cabrera and second baseman Ian Kinsler -- lead the balloting at their respective positions, and the Yankees are the only other AL team with two players currently in position to start the July 15 game at Target Field in Minneapolis. Jacoby Ellsbury is third in balloting among outfielders, narrowly ahead of teammate Carlos Beltran in fourth.

Fans may submit up to 25 online ballots, but they can also earn a one-time bonus of 10 additional online ballots. To access these additional online ballots, you must be logged into your MLB.com account when you submit any online ballot. If you do not have an MLB.com account, register on the site in accordance with the enrollment instructions for a free MLB.com account.

Fans this year once again can participate in the Home Run Derby Fan Poll. Fans will have the opportunity to select three players in each league who they would most like to see participate in the Home Run Derby. The 2014 Home Run Derby will be broadcast live on ESPN, ESPN HD, ESPN Deportes and ESPN Radio in the United States beginning at 8 p.m. ET on Monday, July 14.

The 2014 American League and National League All-Star teams will be unveiled on the 2014 MLB All-Star Game Selection Show during the weekend of July 5-6, with further details to follow on MLB.com. Immediately following the announcement of the AL and NL All-Star rosters, fans can begin voting to select the final player for each league's 34-man roster via the 2014 All-Star Game MLB.com Final Vote Sponsored by Experian. Fans will cast their votes from a list of five players from each league over the balloting period.

And the voting doesn't end there. The final phase of All-Star Game voting will again have fans participating in the voting for the Ted Williams All-Star Game Most Valuable Player Award presented by Chevrolet. During the Midsummer Classic, fans will vote exclusively online at MLB.com via the 2014 All-Star Game MLB.com MVP Vote Sponsored by Pepsi, and their voice will represent 20 percent of the overall vote that determines the recipient of the Arch Ward Trophy.

The 85th All-Star Game will be televised nationally by FOX, in Canada by Rogers Sportsnet and RDS, and worldwide by partners in more than 200 countries via MLB International's independent feed. ESPN Radio and ESPN Radio Deportes will provide national radio coverage of the All-Star Game. MLB Network and SiriusXM will also provide comprehensive All-Star Week coverage. For more information, please visit allstargame.com.

Cabrera, the league's two-time reigning MVP, was an All-Star at third base last season, but he's leading the pack at first base this year. Cabrera is gunning for his fifth straight and ninth total All-Star Game nod, and he was batting .321 with seven home runs and a league-high 18 doubles entering play on Tuesday.

Oakland's Josh Donaldson leads all players at third base, and injured Baltimore catcher Matt Wieters is tops on the list of AL catchers. New York's Brian McCann is second in votes among backstops, which might be good enough to make him the starter if Wieters doesn't return in time for the All-Star Game.

Boston's David Ortiz, an All-Star staple, is in the lead for designated hitter. Ortiz has been named to the All-Star Game in all but one of the past 10 games. Ortiz missed the cut in 2009, but he's been one of the AL's most consistent and dominant players over the past decade.

Kinsler, leading at second base, is in the closest race in the AL. Robinson Cano, starring in his first season with the Mariners, is fewer than 6,000 votes away from catching Kinsler, and Boston's Dustin Pedroia is only about 7,000 behind Cano.

Bautista, an All-Star in four straight seasons, is the only player within 100,000 votes of Trout's league-leading total. Bautista had 12 home runs in his first 52 games this season.

Donaldson, the only projected starter for Oakland, the team with the best record in the league, would be making his first All-Star appearance.